


Things We Lost

by AriaNeige



Category: RWBY
Genre: Fear of fire, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, The Consequences of Ozmosis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:13:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23412892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AriaNeige/pseuds/AriaNeige
Summary: Oscar knew that being a reincarnation of Ozpin wasn't filled with perks. He had a sarcastic old man in his head and he was swept away into deadly adventures. It's not like there was anything else that could shock him at this point. Except for maybe suddenly being afraid of something that was once a comfort, but that would never happen, right?
Relationships: Oscar Pine & Everyone, Ozpin & Oscar Pine
Comments: 17
Kudos: 107





	Things We Lost

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in Volume 5, right after Weiss and Yang are reunited with the others. I hope you enjoy :)

_A five year old ran around a lodge, clumsily dodging his aunt’s attempts to pick him up as he weaved between worn out couches. His feet banged on the floor, but the soft padding of the carpet stopped him from feeling any pain. He cheerfully let out a giggle when his aunt managed to catch him, bringing the boy to her chest with a smile. The fireplace kept the room at a comfortably warm temperature, staving off the worst of the winter chill. Oranges and yellows bathed the room, only adding to the cozy atmosphere._

_“Now, Oscar, it’s been a very long day. You know what we do with little boys at the end of long days?” His aunt asked, her voice noticeably a little higher, as it always was when she spoke to him._

_“What, Auntie?” The little boy giggled in reply, tucking his head into her chin._

_“Little boys get put to bed. Now, let me just poke the fire while you sit here and then we can go to bed. We have a very long day tomorrow to have fun!” She responded, somehow eliciting another laugh from the child._

_“But Auntie, I like the fire. Can we watch it for a while and then bed?” Oscar managed out, carefully not stumbling over any of his words. His aunt pursed her lips, thoughtfully gazing back at him momentarily. Then she grinned._

_“Well, if we are going to be watching the fire, we simply have to roast some marshmallows!” She replied, her smile only widening as Oscar happily squealed, dimples easily visible on his round cheeks. She rocked him for a few moments longer before carefully setting him on the floor. “Now, I’m going to go grab the marshmallows. You stay right here, alright? I’ll be back in a few seconds.”_

_“Yes, Auntie!” Oscar replied, cheerfully watching after her before turning to look at the fireplace-_

_Flames were suddenly in front of him, surrounding him, choking him. He couldn’t breathe. Smoke filled his lungs. It was hot. The pain-_

Oscar woke with a gasp. A shaky hand grasped at his chest, as though by feeling his heartbeat he could calm it. He winced, curling into a fetal position and pulling at his hair, making sure that no whimpers or noise escaped from his lips. It felt like hours, but what could have been minutes passed, and Oscar’s heartbeat finally quieted, letting his thoughts slowly become more coherent. He risked a glance around him, checking to see if any of the others in the room had woken. Thankfully, all of them lay peacefully in sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows; their breathing even and deep. Oscar winced as Nora mumbled something in her sleep briefly rolling in his direction from her place on the floor. Oscar heaved a sigh of relief when she cuddled closer to the person closest to her, Ren, quieting back into a restful sleep as she did. 

Holding his breath, Oscar slowly made his way out of the room and up the stairs, managing to avoid bumping into any of the others despite his groggy state. He stumbled across the hall, barely allowing himself to breathe as he passed Qrow’s bedroom, hoping that his efforts wouldn’t wake the man. Everyone had gathered together for a movie night and he had fallen asleep due to the warmth of comfort, long before the movie had ended. The others had either also done the same, or chosen to just stay. The only one who hadn’t been with the others was Qrow, who had gone to his room before the movie had started. Now, Oscar wished he had stayed awake and gone back to his bed after the movie had finished instead of remaining with the others, if only so then he wouldn’t have the fear of waking them.

He reached the bathroom and shut the door, turning to gaze at the mirror. He made eye contact with himself in the mirror, wincing when his fingers tugged on his hair too harshly, until the last feelings of anxiety sweeped out of him. His body began to relax with a shudder, and his arms struggled to hold himself up on the counter as he continued to gaze at his reflection.

_It’s still me. It’s still me. It’s still me. It’s still-_

The mantra repeated over and over in his head, assuring himself that he had not lost his identity yet. Finally breaking away from the mirror, he slowly lowered himself to the floor, his back against the door and knees close to his chest. He sagged under the weight of his own body, trying to quiet his thoughts and focus on his breathing. Oscar gingerly wiped the last bit of sleep from his eyes, before taking a deep breath and resolutely staring at the wall across from him.

“Oz?” Oscar whispered, but the lack of response made Oscar’s head dip. After having to guide Oscar’s body for a large portion of yesterday to speak with Yang and Weiss, as they had just rejoined the group, Oz must have been regaining his energy.

_Well, if Oz isn’t up, I guess I need to figure this one out on my own._

Oscar combed his fingers through his hair, taking deep and measured breaths.

_That’s one of my earliest and happiest memories. Why had it become a nightmare?_

Yet the more Oscar pondered, the more roughly he began to tug on his hair. It was only when the taste of blood filled his mouth, only now realizing he had been gnawing on his lip, that he forced himself to stop and stumble back downstairs, grateful that no one had woken up. 

He returned to his sleeping bag and lay awake until Ren woke up, which Oscar then faked a yawn and asked if he could help make breakfast. 

***

Nora wanted roasted hot dogs for breakfast. 

Oscar just stared at them in confusion, as one by one Nora recruited the others to convince Ren that they should have roasted hot dogs for breakfast.

_A roasted what?_

When Nora made her way over to him, Oscar stared at her, his head tilted slightly to the side. When she started on her spiel about how they would be a great breakfast treat, how there were even some hot dogs in the fridge and said _“Oscar you should really really really join us in convincing Ren to let us do that for breakfast”_ , Oscar’s eyes only widened further. When Nora finally noticed his lack of response, the entire group turned their attention towards him. 

“Oh, do you not like hot dogs? I know western food isn’t always the most popular, and you said you’re from not too far outside of Mistral right? I know a couple of people from there that _really_ don’t like them so that’s okay!” Ruby began, already seeming to change her mind on joining Nora’s crusade for hot dogs for breakfast.

“You don’t like hot dogs? Why didn’t you say something earlier?” Nora exclaimed as she whipped around to Oscar with a betrayed look.

Oscar stumbled over his words, quickly mumbling out an “I- uh- I’ve never-“

“But Oscar, they’re so good! Maybe you’ve never had them made well, sometimes people grill them weird so they’re not as yummy! I’d bet you love them!” Nora insisted, waving her hands dramatically and taking a few steps closer to the confused farm boy. Most of the group chuckled at Nora’s antics. Nora only stepped away from Oscar when Yang came up behind her and tossed an arm over the shorter girl’s shoulder with a laugh. 

“We can always make something else, but you should at least try a bite Oscar! Ruby and I used to hate hot dogs because of how our dad made them, but we figured out the secret to them when we went to a friend’s house! They need to be made with patience and love. After that, Dad got really good at preparing them!” Yang said with a wink. Oscar could only look at them with confusion. 

“But why would you wait so long to prepare to, uh, _you know_ them then?” Oscar mumbled out, only to be met with looks of confusion. 

He was met with a chorus of _“What?”_

“You know, you said the key is patience and love, but Ruby told me you guys have had Zwei for years now, he certainly isn’t growing any bigger then-“

“Oscar, what are you talking about?” Ruby interrupted him, confusion on everyone’s faces. 

“Well, if you were planning to use Zwei for hot dog meat, why would you wait so long? I mean, we had cattle in my area, though I never raised them myself. The ranches nearby had them though. Cows that weren’t used for dairy were slaughtered within three or so years for high quality beef. I would imagine it would be the same for dogs? And why would you get so attached to them then?” Oscar rambled out, grimacing the more he continued. He kept his gaze on the floor, wringing his hands together. 

It was silent for a few moments. Oscar could only hear Ozpin cackling inside his head and nothing else. 

“We- Oscar, hot dogs aren’t made from dog meat. Dogs, including Zwei, are pets. We- we don’t eat them.” Yang stuttered out. 

“What exactly _is_ a hot dog then?” Oscar asked. The entire room froze. It was silent for several more seconds, the only noise being the continuation of a chuckle that no one else could hear, seemingly not going to end anytime soon. Oz was clearly enjoying this.

“Well now we _have_ to have them!” Nora proclaimed, and Ren finally sighed and walked over to the fridge bringing out a pack of hot dog meat. Oscar shook his head and watched everyone gather around the fridge. The easy interactions soothed the last of his leftover nerves from the nightmare hours before. 

They unpackaged the chilled meat, while Nora rambled on exactly what hot dogs were “ _mostly made of pig, not dog, Oscar”_ and how she loved them, but _especially_ the roasted ones you made yourself. Jaune grabbed some metal sticks from a cupboard, spearing the cylindrical meat, while Ren grabbed a plastic bag filled with bread.

“See, and then after they’re cooked, we put them in the bun! I like mine with ketchup but we don’t have any here, so we will have to work with just eating them plain!” Nora continued eagerly.

“Isn’t this something you do over an open campfire? This is a fireplace, we could get soot-” Ren began, though he was quickly cut off by Nora.

“It’ll be fine! We can-”

Oscar felt a soft smile appear on his face as they bickered. He was beginning to feel excited. Back home, he and his aunt would light the fireplace and spend hours in that room, just talking and relaxing, trying to stave off the chills of autumn and winter. Some of his favorite memories involved that fireplace, and he’d come to attribute every fireplace with the warmth of family and love. Even thinking of roasting something on the fireplace brought a sense of peace to his chest, and reminders of his aunt pleasantly drifted through his mind. Given the chaos of everything that had happened since Ozpin appeared, he hadn’t had the time to be by a fire since he’d left home. Oscar shuffled forward a little faster, eager to begin.

They entered the doorway into the living room, and the unlit fireplace made Oscar smile. Jaune and Ruby went over to start the fire, quickly lighting it and then poking the logs. Both of their frames blocked the view of the fireplace so Oscar wasn’t able to catch a peek of their efforts yet. Yang gently pulled Oscar towards Ren, who was handing out the hot dog meat on the sticks.

“You’re going to hold it over the fire just like you would marshmallows- you have roasted marshmallows before right?” Yang began, only to quickly pause and stare at him questioningly.

“Yeah, I loved doing that when I was little.” Oscar said with a smile.

“You still look pretty little to me, kid.” Yang replied teasingly.

“Hey! I’m still growing!” Oscar huffed, resulting in Ren and Yang laughing. A smile pulled on Oscar’s lips.

_Maybe I can have more happy memories like this, instead of just ones with my aunt._

“Okay, here is your stick, let’s go roast these!” Nora shouted, thrusting the stick towards Oscar in her haste, which he then had to scramble to not drop. A chuckle escaped Oscar’s mouth, an easy smile on his face. He turned towards the fireplace, excited to begin-

_Too hot. It’s everywhere. Can’t breathe. His whole body was melting, soon he’d be nothing but ash. It’s too much too much too much too much too much-_

“I, uh, I think I would rather have a perfect hot dog for my first taste of them! Could you make it for me, Nora?” Oscar timidly asked, barely resisting the urge to shuffle his feet awkwardly, and he managed to maintain eye contact with Nora. Oscar carefully didn’t bite his lip, though he was sure his hands were shaking, but hopefully that could be explained away due to it being a morning and the others believing he had woken up only a few minutes prior.

“Well, roasting them is the best part, but if you’re sure!” The bright girl exclaimed, grabbing the stick from Oscar’s hands with a grin. She stopped moving around frantically, entirely focused on her task of giving Oscar the perfectly roasted hot dog. Meanwhile, Oscar happily moved to some couches on the opposite end of the room, no longer able to see the fireplace, or specifically, the fire.

_It must just be some leftover anxiety from my nightmare,_ Oscar thought as he settled comfortably into the couch. Ozpin was silent, but Oscar couldn’t help but think of the training planned for later in the day, understanding that the other part of him most likely wanted to preserve energy so that he could be available for as long as needed in the coming hours. Oscar hummed to himself, eager to try the hot dog that Nora was making.

It started out good, the food something new and exciting. But then, as Oscar nibbled on the hot dog in his hand, he couldn’t help but think of the fire it had just roasted over. 

It tasted like ash.

***

Training was difficult. 

Oscar was mentally exhausted 10 minutes in. He was rapidly transitioning the control of his body to and from Oz. His body was already sore from some of the skills that Ozpin was showing, and Oscar’s body had little hope of keeping up. He knew it would get better soon, as his muscles strengthened and he became adjusted to Oz’s style of fighting. But for now? Oscar was already sore and the training had barely begun. His spar with Ruby was exhausting, especially as he tried to keep his aura up to help him defend.

_You’ll get there eventually. Until then, don’t lose focus on your fight!_ Ozpin chuckled, just in time for Ruby to sock him in the jaw.

Oscar easily allowed Ozpin to take control so that the headmaster could coach Ruby. He floated in his consciousness, aware of what was happening in the outside world, ready to be sent back at a moment's notice. Oscar was aware of every movement he made, of every word that left his body's lips, yet there was the disconnect of not being in control of his actions that distanced him from the training. It was uncomfortable. Oscar pushed himself to the edge of his consciousness, not attempting to take control by any means, but ready for any moment that Ozpin would relinquish control to him again. He did not want to be stuck in this weird purgatory any longer than he had to.

Ozpin had moved his focus from Ruby, having quickly given her a few words of advice regarding her technique, before inviting Jaune to spar with Weiss. Ozpin remained in control, offering sound critiques, and even briefly sparring both of them to emphasize weaknesses they had that they’d need to be aware of. 

The old headmaster then proceeded to switch with Oscar, giving the young boy no warning as the soreness of his muscles caught up to him. His knees buckled and his arms barely had the strength to stop his face from hitting the dirt. Jaune quickly came up to him, setting a hand on his shoulder and murmuring comforting words as Oscar got his breath back. When Oscar was ready, Jaune held out a hand, easily pulling the boy up to his unsteady feet.

“Thanks,” Oscar managed out between pants, having to momentarily rest his hands on his knees and bend over, still managing to stay on his feet despite his exhaustion.

“Anytime. Hey, you’ve been doing great! You’re improving so quickly.” Jaune told him with a smile, hovering near the boy in case he fell over.

“Thanks, but it doesn’t feel like it. I’m still so tired.” Oscar said, slowly but surely regaining some energy.

“You really have been, you lasted way longer against Ruby! And even Ozpin is getting more powerful in spars, it’s clear your body has come a long way. Here, let’s clear the sparring area and grab some water, you’ve definitely earned it.” Jaune asserted, beginning to lead them towards the side of the house.

“More like I definitely need it.” Oscar mumbled to himself, though based on Jaune’s chuckle, the older had managed to hear him. Once they managed to get to the others that were resting, Jaune disappeared inside the house, coming out with several waters to hand out. Oscar took it with a nod of thanks, greedily drinking as quickly as he could to relieve his parched throat. Oscar leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, trying to gain back his energy faster so that he could continue to get stronger. He heard a rustle of movement and turned to see Yang on her feet. She was approaching Ruby, who was rambling about something to Weiss.

“So Ruby! I see you’re slowly starting to improve with hand-to-hand combat, finally gonna accept that it’s important?” Yand stated, gently ruffling Ruby’s hair. Ruby seemed caught between wanting to swat away Yang’s hand and accepting the touch after only just being reunited.

“It is important! But I just know I’m better with Crescent Rose. I’ll eventually get good at hand to hand combat! Just- uh, not right now!” Ruby squeaked out, automatically hugging Crescent Rose to her chest.

“Well, if you’re so sure, how about you and I have a spar? It’s been a while.” Yang suggested, already starting to walk to the sparring area.

“Really? Let’s go!” Ruby eagerly exclaimed, using her semblance to get to the pitch faster. Oscar could practically see the sparkle in her eye all the way from where he sat. Ren chuckled and got to his feet, turning to Oscar while everyone else started to walk over. 

“We should get closer,” Ren suggested, waiting for Oscar to start following the rest of them, “a spar between those two is always something to witness.”

While Oscar and the others settled themselves closer, the sisters faced each other on the pitch. For a moment, no one moved, and Oscar couldn’t help but wonder if one of them was supposed to give a signal to begin. Then suddenly, both girls moved in a flash of color.

Oscar couldn’t help but watch in awe as they weaved between each other. Ruby would swing at Yang with her scythe, just for Yang to jump over the strike. Ruby quickly dodged Yang’s punches, only an occasional blow managing to push its way past her speed. Occasionally, Ruby would manage to knock Yang off of her feet, only for the older girl to push herself up quickly and retaliate just as hard. It was more intricate than any dance he’d seen, but the mere power behind each strike made him bite his lip, insecurity rising within him.

_Relax, Oscar. Watch their movements closely. They have been fighting and training for years and you will get there soon with my help. It is always helpful to analyse a fight, who knows if you can take an idea and use it in your own battles._ Ozpin gently reminded him, not letting Oscar wallow in his doubts. Oscar nodded his head, sipping the cup of water as he wiped his sweaty hair off of his forehead.

The sisters continued to brawl, red and yellow a blur due to their quick movements. In a flash of movements, Ruby used her semblance to quickly put herself behind Yang and push off Yang’s back. Yang rolled all the way to the rest of the group, so close that Jaune quickly grabbed the collar of Oscar’s shirt and yanked him back to avoid being hit. Oscar gently bit his lip, heaving a sigh of relief when Yang got up unharmed, but clearly frustrated, while the rest of the group hovered close behind her. Yang took a deep breath, clearly trying to control her anger, but it appeared that Ruby using her semblance encouraged Yang to activate hers. Yang firmly fell into a fierce stance, her feet shoulder width apart and she drew both of her hands to her sides before bringing her fists together in front of her, momentarily disappearing in a rush of flames.

Seeing the flames appear from Yang’s hair, so close to him, Oscar forced Ozpin into control. He happily receded into the depths of his consciousness, even as he felt Ozpin’s shock of being thrown into crontrol, something Oscar had never done before. He floated in his consciousness, seeing the shocked reactions of the teens around him.

“Oscar?” Jaune asked, hovering over him. 

“I- uh, I apologize. Space, I need, now.” Ozpin managed out, clearly confusing the teens. Oscar almost felt bad for the panic attack that he had thrown Ozpin into, that Oscar still felt himself, but clearly the man could pretend to maintain some functioning, much more than Oscar could have. 

“Please, one-” Oz began, before he cut himself off and curled in on himself breathing labored and fast. Oscar could feel the panic only increasing, as it felt like Ozpin couldn’t breath, but Oscar was far enough in his brain that while he acknowledged this was happening, he still had some mental grounding to not be entirely swept away in the emotion. Ozpin’s thoughts flew through his mind, barely fast enough for Oscar to register.

_Not again not again Cinder I’m burning alive not again no please it’s hot everything hurts everything is on fire why not again no please fire Cinder everything is turning to ash it’s all red and orange and gone and-_

Oscar was somewhat aware of the rest of the group surrounding him, each trying to coax his body to calm down, however, he was too far within his own mind to comprehend what they were saying to him. He drifted, feeling panicked and anxious, increasingly so as Ozpin’s thought raced through his head, flashes of fire continued through his head. 

_He was exhausted, his cane lashing forward to take a swipe at-_

The image flitted away from Oscar, replaced only by the sound of pained yells.

_A woman stood over him, a feral grin on her face as flames finally surrounded him. He gritted his teeth and stared at Long Memory as flames engulfed him-_

These memories were not ones he knew, but maybe this fear of fire created these images in his head, of fear, of dying due to fire, of-

“Oscar, I’m sorry,” Ozpin’s voice said, though Oscar couldn’t be sure if it was said only to him or out loud. After he finished speaking, Oscar was abruptly thrown back into control of his body, all of the physical symptoms hitting him at once. His chest rose and fell uncontrollably, and tears streamed down his face. He couldn’t breathe. Everything was too hot, too much was going on, and everything felt like it _was on fire-_

Water suddenly shocked him, dousing his upper half. 

He felt his mind be completely blank, absent of any of his thoughts, absent of any of Ozpin’s.

Hands were on his shoulders holding him down, another set of hands were on his arms, and another on his legs. 

His brain wasn’t processing things.

He slowly came to, beginning to process the words around him- “Oscar, you are safe, you are fine, take deep breaths buddy, you have this come on, see? Deep breaths just like me buddy”- but he could not process who was saying them. He tried to follow the advice, focusing on his breathing, while he could almost feel Oz doing the same with him. He started to notice that he was holding someone’s hand tightly. 

His eyes followed the arm up until he noticed that Nora was the one holding his hand. She gazed at him with a worried expression. Nora mouthed something at him, until he could faintly hear her say “Oscar?”

Awareness began to return to him. Oscar quickly realized the person who had been speaking, trying to calm him earlier, was Jaune. Oscar began to sit up and the group fell quiet. 

His palms were sweaty, Oscar realized vacantly as he brought his hands into his lap. He wiped a hand against his forehead, distantly feeling shocked at how sweaty he was, at how _exhausted_ he was.

“Oscar-” Ruby began, but then quickly cut herself off. The group was quiet, hovering over him, but they kept glancing at each other, clearly too nervous to say anything.

“Uh, hey guys.” Oscar mumbled, wringing his hands together and biting his lip.

The air was awkward, silent. 

“What happened, kid? You okay now?” Qrow began, carefully placing his hand on Oscar’s shoulder and giving him some water. Oscar took a sip. The group seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief at Oscar’s increased awareness.

“Yeah,” Oscar managed out, continuing to drink from his water to avoid looking anyone in the eye.

“What set that off, kid?” Qrow calmly said, awkwardly clearing his throat.

“I, well, I’m not entirely sure.” Oscar carefully replied, though he quickly took a moment to reflect on his feelings that day. It had to have been the fire that set him off, but _why?_ Fires were such a comforting part of his youth, and it's not like he had any bad memories with fire, Ozpin could confirm that himself. Oscar waited for the usual hum of amusement that would usually catch Oscar’s attention before Ozpin started talking, but the man was strangely silent.

_Ozpin?_

“Are you feeling calmer now? Because I hate to say it, but we are going to have to figure out what set you off, so that if anything happens in a battle we can make sure you’re alright. But it doesn’t have to be now-” Qrow started, but Oscar was quick to cut him off.

“No, I think you’re misunderstanding. I genuinely don’t know what set that off. The only thing I can think of is fire, because it was seeing the flames appear around Yang that made me suddenly see these images of being burned alive and- and this morning, I couldn’t even _look_ at the fireplace without panicking, and last night with the nightmare of my house burning and I was burning but I don’t know why and-”

“Easy kid,” Qrow soothed, gently rubbing Oscar’s back, “take a breath now. Repeat all that for me, slower?” Oscar took slow, deep breaths, only now realizing how fast his heart was racing. 

“Well, it started out last night, when I had a dream that my old house burned down, that _I_ was on fire. Then, when we made breakfast this morning, I went from feeling really happy but then I saw the fire and all I could feel was _scared._ But I don’t know why, especially because when I was younger, whenever I was scared I would sit in front of the fireplace with my aunt until I calmed down. Some of my favorite memories are in front of a fireplace. But then, when we were training, Yang was surrounded by flames so close to me, and I felt like I was being burned alive _again_ by some woman, but I’ve never even been burned by an open flame before. I just don’t get it!” Oscar continued to become more and more frustrated as he spoke, until he was nearly shouting as he spoke about what he experienced only minutes prior.

The group was pensive for a moment, before Jaune suddenly sat upright, his eyes wide and concerned.

“A woman?” Jaune mumbled, barely loud enough for Oscar to hear, before he carefully continued, “hey, Oscar, how is Oz right now?” 

_Oz?_ Oscar called inside his head. He received no verbal response, but he could feel leftover anxiety and exhaustion deep within his mind, emotions that while he had, were clearly not entirely his own.

“He won’t respond to me right now. But I think he feels tired and anxious?” Oscar replied.

“Do you remember what the woman you saw looked like?” Jaune continued, though his fist was clenched tightly to the hem of his shirt.

“Well, she had dark hair, maybe black? And she wore a red dress-” A collection of gasps cut off Oscar. He stared at the others with wide eyes as an awkward silence once more filled the air, the group awkwardly eyeing each other. “Guys, what?” Oscar finally forced himself to say, unable to take the stifling air anymore.

“I- Well, I think you’re remembering how Ozpin died, because it is likely that he died fighting a woman named Cinder.” Qrow stated, rubbing Oscar’s back gently.

_Ozpin? Is that, is that true?_ Oscar thought, hoping that Ozpin would hear him.

A sigh reverberated in his head. _Yes, you are experiencing flashbacks to how I died at the hands of the current Fall Maiden, who is helping Salem._

“And you didn’t think to tell me that, Oz?” Oscar shouted, jumping to his feet angrily. The others fell back, shocked at Oscar’s change in expression and words. “We are going to have to fight her again, and fire is something that’s everywhere! This is important! What if this had happened in a battle? What would I do?”

“Kid-” Qrow started.

“No, give me a second. What if I was standing next to Yang when she used her semblance in battle and we didn’t know? What would I do?”

_Oscar, I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would be this bad honestly. I will admit, I have been avoiding it. It’s the memory of my final moments, I had hoped that the fear would not incapacitate you. But we can work on exposing you to it-_

“Oz, I think we need to work on exposing _you_ to fire, because I used to love fire. It was one of my favorite ways of being comforted. This isn’t my fear. It’s yours.” Oscar angrily cut off, ignoring the gawking faces around him.

_You’re right. You are right. But, just as your thoughts are mine, my fears are now yours. We will figure this out Oscar, don’t worry._

Oscar felt tears well up, though he refused to let them fall. Suddenly, several arms surrounded him in a hug. Oscar looked around him, suddenly noticing that the entire group was hugging him, even Qrow. 

Then tears started to fall.

“I, I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t ask for any of this.” Oscar gasped out, yet the group only got closer to him. Someone gently combed fingers through his hair, another hand massaged his shoulders, and another brushed their thumb against his hand in a circular, calming motion. Oscar continued to cry, finally managing to gasp out a quick, “I’m sorry.”

“Kid, you have nothing to be sorry for, just let it out.” Qrow reassured, and Oscar’s tears began to fall even harder.

It almost felt like Ozpin was weeping with him.

Yet despite this, the group continued to cuddle around him. Whispers of comfort were continuously reassured into his ears. Oscar finally felt his tears begin to slow, his body too fatigued to feel the leftover anxiety that had rushed through him during his conversation with Oz.

Suddenly, Yang let out a loud belch, to the point where Oscar swore he physically shuddered due to its impact.

“Oh shit, that was _fire!_ ” Yang proudly stated, before hurriedly saying, “Wait, is it too soon?” 

There was a moment of silence, before Oscar broke out into laughter. Suddenly, giggles were spilling from everyone’s mouths. Oscar felt a smile tug on the edges of his lips, finally completely relaxing against his friends. 

“Oscar,” Ruby stated, effectively cutting off the amused chuckles, “I know you didn’t sign up for this. The rest of us? We chose it. I know you were forced into it, but you have been doing so well. You’ve been able to work through everything that has come up in front of you so far, we can work through this too. I’m sure they have books and ways to help you through this, we’ll help you.”

“Yeah,” Oscar mumbled, relaxing into the arms that cuddled him closer, “yeah, I’ll get through it.” Oscar then felt a poke on his cheek. He meekly turned to stare at Ren, who smiled at him, calming Oscar even more. Then his heart began to sore and he started crying again, albeit happier tears, when Ren actually began to speak.

“We, Oscar, _we_ will get through it.”

**Author's Note:**

> The title is a reference to the Bastille song, yes. There needs to be more Oscar fics so I guess I had to contribute - special thanks to the Oscar Protection Squad discord for making the vague idea of "What if Oscar was afraid of fire and he was shocked by Yang's semblance" to linking it to Ozpin's death and just improving the idea overall and also just being cool people. And also a special thanks to my friend Sarah who helped me come up with ideas and is part of the reason I watched RWBY in the first place, much less wrote something for it lol.


End file.
